Wireless charging for electric vehicles hits road

(NewScientist) I’m on a bus headed for Bletchley Park, but not to visit the UK’s second-world-war codebreaking centre, I’m just along for the ride.

That’s because I’m on an electric bus that is one of the first vehicles to use a revolutionary inductive charging technology. Its batteries charge wirelessly when the bus stops to pick up passengers. With no need to plug in to charge, it’s a breakthrough that should speed up the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EV).

Charging an EV is a laborious process. The owner has to find a charging point, connect up their cable and leave the car for some hours. It’s inconvenient, and cables can easily get lost or damaged.